Combination clock and fan.



No. 816,903. PATENTED APR. 3, 1906.

S. D. EARL. COMBINATION CLOCK AND FANL APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1905.

SPENCER D. EARL, OF NORRISTOWVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINATION CLOCK AND FAN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

L'atentea Aprii 3, 1906.

Application filed May 5,1905. Serial No. 258,993.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SPENCER D. EARL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norristown, county of Montgomery, and State of Pennsylvania,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Combination Clocksand Fans, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in combinationelectric clocks and fans, and has for its object to provide an electricfan designed to be operated, preferably, by a primary battery, and amake-andbreak apparatus is included in the circuit, which is operated bythe clock, so as to cause the fan to run intermittentlythat is, the fanwill be operated for a predetermined length of time and then the circuitwill be open a predetermined length of time, these operations occurringalternately.

With these ends in View this invention consistsin the details ofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and thenspecifically designated by the claims.

I11 order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains may understand how to make and use the same, the constructionand operation will now be described in detail, referring to theaccompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which isillustrated a rear elevation of a clock and fan attached theretoincorporating my improvement.

A represents an electric fan which may be of any desired shape orconstruction.

B represents a clock, which also may be of any desired construction, andwhile the fan is shown resting upon the top of the clock it is obviousthat the fan can be separate therefrom and removed from the same anydistance, and there may be any number of fans, the running of which willbe operated from one clock.

0 is a source of electricity, preferably a primary battery.

D represents the knob at the rear of the clock which is ordinarily usedfor setting the hands of the clock. The knob in this case is made ofmetal, and around the periphery of this knob are arranged small blocksof insulating material E, which are an equal distance apart, and bearingagainst the periphery of this knob is a spring-strip'F, the other end ofwhich is secured to the clock-frame, but insulated therefrom.

G is a spring-strip secured at one end to the clock-frame, and the inneror free end bears against the surface of the knob D, so that saidspringstrip is always in contact with said knob while the knob isturning. A wire extends from the spring strip F through the field andarmature of the mo tor to one terminal of the battery C, and a wireleads from the other terminal of the battery to the strip G. Thus itwill be seen that when the spring-strip F is in contact with themetallic portion of the knob D between any two blocks of insulatingmaterial a circuit will be established through the material which willoperate the fan; but this knob D, being connected to the same arbor asthat upon which the hands of the clock are located, will turn slowly,and as the metallic portion of the knob passes from out of contact withthe strip F one of the insulating-blocks will pass into contacttherewith, and the circuit will be broken and remain broken until theknob D has turned sufliciently to bring another metallic portion incontact with the strip F, and so on alternately opening and closing thecircuit. Of course the relative time in which the fan will operate andthe circuit will be open can be regulated by arranging theinsulating-blocks around the periphery of the knob. The advantage ofthis will be at once apparent, as it is well known that ordinary primaryopen-circuit batteries will very quickly polarize and become useless ifthe circuit is closed for any great length of time; but these batterieswill last a comparatively long time if the circuit is closed for a shorttime, then opened and closed again, the batteries recuperating duringthe time the circuit remains open, and this will give almost the sameeffect as if the fan runs continuously and at the same time will enablea small number of primary batteries to be used, and these batteries willlast a comparatively long time.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction hereshown, as slight modifications could be made without departing from thespirit of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and usefulis 1. The combination of an electric fan, clock and source ofelectricity, with makeand-break apparatus included in the circuit andadapted to be operated from one of the wheels of the clock to make andbreak the circuit alternately, as specified.

2. In a device of the character described,

IIO

ery of the disk, a source of electricity, one:

terminal of which is permanently in electrical connection with themetallic disk, a wire leading from the other terminal of the source ofelectricity, and after passing through the fan-motor being connected tothe spring-finger, as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

SPENCER D. EARL.

Witnesses HARY JAMES HANNAWAY, SIDNEY H. STEINER.

